Former Hyderabad boss Phil Brown appointed new manager of Southend United FC

The Englishman's first game back at the helm of the club will be against Crawley Town on Saturday.

Former FC Pune City and Hyderabad FC head coach Phil Brown has been appointed as the manager of English fourth-tier club Southend United FC.

Earlier on Friday, the club officially terminated the contract of former manager Mark Molesley. The club statement read, "We wish to thank Mark for the commitment throughout his tenure. The Board recognize the management team worked tirelessly. However, whilst considerable further support was afforded during the January window, results on the pitch remained, unfortunately, inconsistent."

"Phil Brown, who previously managed the club between 2013 and 2018, will take charge with immediate effect," the statement further read. Southend United also confirmed that the Englishman will be joined by his former colleague Ricky Duncan (Head of Academy) and Craig Fagan (Under 23 Manager) for his new assignment.

The 61-year-old was part of a couple of Indian Super League clubs in the past couple of years. After his appointment in December 2018, Phil Brown led FC Pune City to a seventh place finish in the table. However, things turned out bitter for the club financially. The club was succeeded by a newly-established outfit Hyderabad FC in the ISL and Phil Brown joined them as the head coach for the 2019-20 season.

The newly-established entity found it hard to bring out wins as they eventually ended up parting ways with Phil Brown. The Englishman then assumed duties as TV presenter in the Indian Super League and was part of the 2020-21 season that took place in Goa.

Now at Southend United, the former Hull City manager will look to guide the side back to their winning form. His first game back as manager will come against Crawley Town on Saturday.